VR, AR, 3D/360.

360º Cinematic Editing Shoot first, point and create the perfect scene later! Because you can…Insta360 action camera with built-in HDR video capture. HDR mode shoots video that looks natural and vibrant and makes all the scenes in the 360º capture for the post-production work to be done. No need to reshoot a scene, you caught it all! The HDR video mode shoots 5.7K at 25 FPS. But that is not the full story as a consumer sized and priced 360º camera has a bit of a yawn factor associated with it these days. What caught my eye were the accessories and editing apps associated with Insta360. The real innovation comes in being able to capture in 360º video and then “reshoot” within the 360 sphere captured to catch the action and tell the real story you want to tell by picking and editing the final cut. And it gets better! There is a throwable Torpedo accessory that the camera can be mounted in and thrown to get genuinely impossible shots! Or when equipped with the “invisible” selfie stick one can swing the camera around while shooting and edit later to keep the camera on the subject in the middle of the scene. Underwater housing and drone mount accessories take the capture possibilities to new heights and…

With the Vuzix Blade Android platform software and applications and all the enabling hardware on board as well, this enterprise application sure thing is now being deployed extensively. Vuzix and Third party developers in the areas shown (right) plus many others are actively building solutions, now that the hardware is a standard platform, a user friendly form factor and fit for purpose. Could this package priced right, become a prosumer and even consumer lifestyle must have? It’s not just eye wear headset technology anymore! Now that complete AR platforms like this are available and the ecosystem already in place for consumer utility (think Apple watch but with a much bigger screen) could consumer be far behind? Keep going Vuzix (and others) you are getting there! Select "Read More" below to click on the weblinks in this entry.

HumanEyes Technologies introduced their VUZE XR camera to capture two immersive content types with one camera. Push a button and presto, 360º capture becomes 3D180º. In my 3+ years of taking 360º snapshots, I have come to realise that not all scenes have something interesting to look at everywhere. And besides, sometimes you want the scene, but without yourself in the picture. So what really caught my eye here was the ability to catch everything – up, down and around in a half sphere, but with the added immersiveness of 3D or 2D for normal phone screen viewing. An impressive spec (here) and set of features and Apps and an underwater enclosure accessory to boot. Another place where 3D180º captures the scene very well! Photos and videos can be captured and posted, published and viewed “native” to social networks, YouTube, etc. and camera works stand alone or under control of available Android and iOS mobile apps, plus the VUZE Studio desktop software suite for more advanced editing at full resolution. Oh yes, and four microphones and 360º sound as well. Impressive little pocket sized camera! Select "Read More" below to click on the weblinks in this entry.

One thing for sure, there were plenty of AR headsets and glasses on show this year at CES! I saw 25 or 30, and probably didn’t see all of them. Lots of new ones. This is a good indication to me that AR has now graduated into the “…it’s going to happen and it’s going to be big…” category. This may also be driven by the emphasis that Apple and to some degree Google (and others) are placing on AR. But most that I saw were just the headgear, not the complete operating systems, apps platforms, ecosystem in place that the likes of Vuzix, Hololens and others have labored over for the past 10+ years and have in place. For the most part the ones I saw were just headgear without the total solution, sectors and applications in the package or even fully understood. This is really where AR was 5 years ago, so I wish these Google Glass copycats the best of luck, but not where I would invest. There were a few that did catch my eye as being behind the leaders, but moving in that direction, and I have highlighted here six that I will be watching for progress over…

Pivo360º turntable for spinning the camera on the phone or turntable accessory to get a 360º image of an object. Clever Accessory for 360º shooting of scenes and objects using either front or back cameras on Smartphones. Or use the smart rotating phone holder to follow you or a specific item around the scene as you move. Select the object or face you want to track and it will automatically move around with the subject. Also responds to commands so you don’t have to touch the camera - Just snap your fingers or say “cheese” for Pivo to take a picture or start recording. A few of the other clever features in this camera mount and App combination - ManyMe Capture – 360º picture with many appearances of the same person or object. Tiny Planet - Take spherical images that capture the whole scene and then look like tiny globes. Fun, interesting and inexpensive way to do some clever photography. Select "Read More" below to click on the weblinks in this entry.

Fly like a bird! Birdly is a full-body VR flight experience using your arms, legs and hands as wings and rudder! You are flying through the air and the Virtual environment you are in takes you where you want to go and shows you what's there. That is if you get the knack of flying like a bird. Flapping of your wings takes you up. Lean forward and you glide down. Manipulation of primary feathers for speed, altitude and navigation.Being visually immersed through a head-mounted VR display, fliers are enveloped in an interactive high-resolution virtual landscape charged with navigation challenges and entertaining surprises! Unfettered flight is normally not possible for humans, but virtual reality (VR), coupled with robotics and simulation technology, can deliver our ultimate dream of flying like a bird. Also key to this experience is the Birdley VR 360º content. From a bird’s-eye view over the world’s great cities and monuments, to a bee’s-eye view of the inner workings of a combustion engine, to a pterosaur’s-eye view of a Jurassic landscape. Lots of interactive storytelling possibilities, both entertaining and educational It appears that he sky’s the limit! Oh, by the way, our muscles are not developed in the…